Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Collections

by Barbara Buhler Lynes

Georgia O’Keeffe is one of the great artists of the twentieth century, and one of the best loved. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, holds the largest collection of her work, her archives, and her houses at Ghost Ranch and in Abiquiu.

This lavishly illustrated volume presents a magnificent selection of O’Keeffe’s paintings, drawings, and sculptures, all reproduced in faithful color. It also offers a generous portfolio of photographs—some previously unpublished—by O’Keeffe; many by Alfred Stieglitz, her husband and mentor; and others by such renowned photographers as Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter, Philippe Halsman, Yousuf Karsh, and Todd Webb.

In addition, there are a number of works by American Modernist painters who painted in New Mexico—George Bellows, Thomas Hart Benton, and Edward Hopper, among others.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published February 20, 2007

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great catalog for a great museum, in beautiful Santa Fe! I don't actually recall that much about this book, but I've been to the museum many times. When we lived there (and nearby) it was on the agenda for all of our art-loving visitors, and we would go pretty much every time before or since. Well, until COVID! So not lately . . .

I did mark the catalog as 5-star ("A+") so I obviously liked it. But the real thing is so much better!
NM Fine Arts museum, on the plaza, also has a fine O'Keeffe collxn.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are no essays here; text is minimal. But within these pages are 334 plates: 286 by O'Keeffe and the remainder by relevant artists such as Alfred Stieglitz, Eliot Porter, etc. This collection is organized by theme, and plates appear chronologically within each section. The inclusion of quotes by O'Keeffe herself was appreciated, as well as photographs of her through the ages. There are even a few rare photos which find Georgia smiling! :)

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s rare that I give perfect marks to an art book, but this volume which explores the collection of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is one of the few that makes the grade. Being the penultimate gallery collecting the work of the prestigious American painter, the book has a head start in its potential presentation and it does not disappoint. Arranging O’Keeffe’s work in large swaths of subject matter, we are toured through her artistic themes in largely chronological order - admittedly with some room for non-linear narration when it makes sense to juxtapose early and later artwork for dramatic effect. While I personally prefer a more strict biographical style with the occasional year-jumping footnote to bring us back to recurring themes and motifs, getting to do a readily constructed deep dive into O’Keeffe’s major subjects ranging from abstract landscapes to macro florals made this book an extremely easy read. The book for all its volume does lack footnotes or anything more than a concise and limited bibliography, so it shies away from becoming a true reference work - something that I don’t feel was its ultimate goal, as to do so they would have also had to make a considered effort to get printing rights to the many O’Keeffe pieces scattered in galleries and collections worldwide - but we still get to sample a huge range of O’Keeffe’s work, and are more likely to want to visit her Museum after closing the covers on this book. Would I have liked to see an even greater range of O’Keeffe’s work? Of course. But, as long as I’m getting a solid range, with high quality printing and a simple (yet effective) presentation, as is contained herein, I’ll finish reading with satisfaction.

[Wilder B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the museum. Loved the book showing the museum portfolio. I wish there was a bit more information in the text, and images of her interesting natural collections - but it’s a great brief introduction and display of O’Keeffe’s work.

[Annie Oosterwyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cool to have listened to the biography first and then see what the paintings really look like.